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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23957527">If Wellness Is This,</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/marblehead/pseuds/marblehead'>marblehead</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stardew Valley (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Hospital, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Health Issues, Recovery, im not bored tho dont get me wrong ;), injured, lets do this fools, welcome ladies and gents to the longest and slowest story ever</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:27:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,055</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23957527</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/marblehead/pseuds/marblehead</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><i>If wellness is this,</i><br/><i>what in hell’s name is sickness?</i><br/>               <i>- Amanda Palmer, It Runs In The Family</i></p><p>Everything is fine. June has a house. She has a wife, and two kids, and a best friend. Her farm is gorgeous. She makes everyone happy. So, everything is fine.</p><p>Until she winds up in the hospital.</p><p>With the help of Penny, Shane, and the other townsfolk, can June learn how to enjoy life again?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Penny/Female Player (Stardew Valley)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. pov: penny</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wow! So I haven’t published anything in a while, or, a new story I guess. I know some people might not be too fond of original characters, but feel free to read this as if it were your farmer instead :)</p><p>I’ve had this idea in my head for months, and I’m not sure how many chapters it’ll be, but thank you for reading if you choose to read &lt;3 Please enjoy and leave a comment, it would mean the world to me :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Penny felt like her whole world was crashing down on her, and all she could do was sit and wait. A worried tension squeezed her throat as she gazed past Shane’s large form and at the door to the back of the clinic: the only door that stood between her and her wife, June. Stress and worry weren’t a good combination for anyone, much less Penny; she was a delicate thing, too kind and gentle for her own good. But tonight, she couldn’t afford to be delicate. And maybe she never wanted to be delicate again.</p><p>--</p><p>Penny had never had a glamorous life. As a matter of fact, it was the opposite: downright awful. Being raised in tiny Pelican Town with her mother, living in an old trailer that stank of cigarette smoke and alcohol, and hardly getting by with the money she managed to scrounge up, she’d always hoped something would come and take her away. And, from the moment she met June, she always knew in the back of her mind that she was the one, her knight in shining armor. Maybe that was a tad corny, but before June came along, all Penny really had was her books and a dream to run away. Soon after moving in, June spoke to Penny frequently, or rather, tried to. Penny was nervous, of course, and it took the form of being shy and quiet around the new farmer. It was strange; June would always give Penny muffins, poppies, and other things she loved, almost as if she already knew her. And part of Penny felt like June was an old friend, or, rather, someone she’d met somewhere before. Either way, the farmer had won over Penny’s heart quickly, and within two years of June’s arrival in Pelican Town, they’d gotten married and began their new, beautiful life on the farm. Everything was like a fantasy come to life, like the ones she’d read about in her books. At least, until the past few days.</p><p>June had gone out two days ago, like normal. But she did so wordlessly. No goodbyes, no hugs or kisses, and she hadn’t even stopped for breakfast or for the kids. She simply woke up, threw on that grey beanie of hers, and marched out.  Penny didn’t know where her wife was or what she was doing, and couldn’t get a word out of her when she was around. This, though extremely unusual, turned into a two-day long pattern.</p><p>What else had become a pattern, was that exactly one thousand dollars would consistently disappear from their bank account, each of those same nights that June would disappear without a word. Now, Penny didn’t like to assume the worst. It caused unnecessary panic. But three thousand dollars, and the silent treatment, and everything else… all Penny had left was to panic. And who wouldn’t? Her life, her well-being, and her happiness were all on the line.</p><p>The two days before, June would return between 11:00 and 11:30, and after taking a shower, silently slip into bed and go into a deep sleep. Penny would stay awake the whole time between her arrival at home and her heading to bed, waiting for her wife to say something to her. But, both nights, she never would.</p><p>Penny bit her lip in worry; As she sat at the kitchen table that third night, she watched 11:30 come and go. Anxiously, she clutched her fingers a bit tighter around her cup of green tea. Not that she was going to drink it. It was cold from sitting for so long. Dead silence rang throughout the house; the two children were sleeping upstairs and the television was shut off. And Penny continued to sit and stare at the door, thoughts and worries continuing to plague her mind. Soon, 12:00 went by, along with 1:00 and 1:30.</p><p>As 1:34 passed, a sound erupted from the landline next to the fridge as the small screen flashed orange, displaying the caller. Tea spilled across the table as Penny practically leapt from her seat to the phone. She didn’t bother to look at the caller as she breathlessly answered.</p><p>“Hello?”</p><p>“Penny, you need to get to Harvey’s Clinic, now!”</p><p>The panicked voice on the other line was familiar, but Penny couldn’t quite tell who it was. She took a sharp inhale and cautiously replied.</p><p>“Who is this?”</p><p>“It’s Shane, and I don’t have time to explain to you what happened but it’s about June and it’s an emergency! Just get there, now!”</p><p>The line went dead, and Penny was left with nothing but the silence of the night and the single-note dial tone. She took the phone from her ear and held it in her hand for a moment, before slowly placing it back on the wall. </p><p>Should she get someone to watch the kids? Should she take them with her? Should she lock the house? Penny shook her head, suddenly remembering. This was about June. The kids would be fine, right? Probably not. She’d call Marnie when she got to the clinic. Her heart began to pound harder and harder with every thought that passed her mind, and she stood up straight before dashing to the door, grabbing the keys, and promptly locking up the house behind her.</p><p>Still donning her day clothes, at first she took care in running by gently pulling her skirt up with her fingers. But soon, she bunched the skirt up in her arms, dashing down the road from the farm. Her breathing became labored, loudly gasping for air. She had to keep running. She passed in front of the bus stop, and she looked down at her black shoes; they were usually shiny, but now dirt had kicked up and dirtied them up. And for once in her life, she didn’t care about how dirty she got, she just knew she had to get to the Clinic.</p><p>Her shoes clicked against the stone of the town square as she ran, and as she threw the door of the clinic, fluorescent lights beamed down out against her front, illuminating her face.</p><p>“Shane!”</p><p>She ran inside, the door swinging shut behind her. She practically threw her arms around Shane just as he turned from the counter to look at her. She heard him let out a quiet “oof” at her sudden embrace. Soon, his arms found their way around her as well.</p><p>“What happened?” She looked up at Shane, pulling away a bit to look at him. Somehow, there’s no tears between the two. Penny feels a pang of guilt. She should be crying. Why isn’t she crying?</p><p>“Don’t know. Some redhead chick from the Calico Desert came by, and dropped June off in real bad shape. On her way in, Maru told me something about.. uh.. blood loss because of too much movement, uh.. broken incision.. something like that. She’s had emergency surgery three days in a row now, but obviously you’d know that..”</p><p>Penny yanked away from Shane, eyes wide. “She’s had <i>what</i> three days in a row?!” Her voice rose an octave. Shane’s hard expression snapped to a shocked one in a split second.</p><p>“You mean she <i>didn’t tell you</i>?”</p><p>“No, she—-!”</p><p>The door to the back rooms swung open, causing the two to look, and Maru, disheveled and exhausted, slowly walked out. She plopped onto a chair and sighed, exhausted. Penny and Shane jog over to Maru, sitting next to her.</p><p>“Is June ok?” Penny put a hand on Maru’s shoulder. The other woman put a hand to her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes.</p><p>“Yes. You can go see her now.”</p><p>The two didn’t need anything else. They stood up, quickly thanked Maru, and rushed to the back. Around the corner, Harvey stood marking some things down on a clipboard. Upon the two coming around the corner, the man perked up. Penny took note of the sad, forced smile of greeting and the purple marks stamped under his eyes.</p><p>“So according to June,” Harvey kept his voice down,”she hasn’t told you about her operations.”</p><p>“No!” Penny started loudly, but cleared her throat and lowered her voice. “No. She hasn’t.”</p><p>“I just.. there’s so much that went wrong, I can’t even begin to read it off to you, Penny. And while there is a lot of physical injury, right now I’m worried about her mental health. This many operations, and under such extreme circumstances.. it’s not good for anyone. I couldn’t get her to talk about much, but you may be able to help.”</p><p>Penny’s mouth formed into a thin line as she thinks hard. What would there be to talk about? Just that she hadn’t spoken to Penny?</p><p>“Hey.” Shane’s voice was gentle as he put a hand on Penny’s shoulder. “I can help. If she got <i>me</i> to open up to her, talk, and stop drinking so much, I.. I think she’ll tell me, if she won’t tell you.”</p><p>Penny hesitated for a moment, but nodded anyway. Better to have someone than no one.</p><p>Harvey joined Shane and Penny in rounding the corner to June’s space.</p><p>Penny, upon seeing June, covered her mouth with a hand. Dressings wrapped around June’s left arm, which she was staring at and gently held with her right hand. Minor cuts riddle her forehead and cheek. Upon the three entering the space, she looked up from her dressings and seemed to deflate at the sight of Penny, who took a few steps forward and let herself sit down on a stool next to the bed. Behind her, she heard the other two take their seats in the cheap, creaky plastic chairs. Something about it was too familiar. The only times Penny came here was when her mother drank too much, so to see someone here, someone not deserving of this..</p><p>One of Penny’s hands snaked its way up to June’s uninjured cheek. June flinches, then calms at the gentle touch. Penny was saddened to find that her wife’s cheek is cold, and red enough in a spot that it had been rubbed raw. Her wife’s eyes weren’t red and puffy, but rather cold, as if she’d recovered from crying but hadn’t quite healed yet. Perhaps that didn’t make sense, but it didn’t seem to matter.</p><p>“Are you ok?” Penny’s voice was more stable than she had expected it to be. She analyzed June’s face as it changed its expression.</p><p>“Of course. It’s not a big deal.”</p><p>Penny could almost feel the hurt in the words.</p><p>“Junie.. You don’t have to lie to me. Where have you been, darling? I was worried sick..”</p><p>June moves her cheek away from her touch. Penny’s face falls. It only became more and more apparent that she was hiding something.</p><p>“I was in the mines.”</p><p>“The desert mines?! Those are so dangerous, love.. look at yourself, you’re hurt so badly.” Penny attempted to reach out and stroke her wife’s hair, but the other pulled away. Observing the two being unsuccessful in their attempts to communicate, Shane quickly interjected.</p><p>“June, it’s important to us that we know what you’re thinking. You’ve helped us, so let us help you, ok? It’s only fair, and,” Penny heard Shane clear his throat,”it would make us happy, too.”</p><p>A sudden silence hung in the air, but was interrupted by June sighing.</p><p>“Okay, if you want me to.”</p><p>Penny’s face lit up. The tension in the room practically melted away; she could hear Shane’s sight of relief and Harvey shuffling to sit up in his seat.</p><p>“Good, good. That’s a good start.” Harvey spoke up. “Now, maybe <i>we’re</i> not the best place to go, but I can suggest someone in Zuzu City. Let me go get her information for you.”</p><p>Harvey got up to leave, and Shane followed, patting Penny on the shoulder before leaving the room.</p><p>Penny took a deep breath and smiled. She reached out her hand, and her wife took it, not making eye contact. Their fingers intertwine, and despite the long road ahead, for a moment Penny feels like they’ll end up okay.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. pov: penny (2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Penny and June attend therapy; or, more accurately, June attends therapy and Penny waits outside.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>aw geez, what a ride it’s been. i’m graduating high school today :) this is a lovely chapter to finish off high school with; soon i’ll be a big ol college student, how about that!!</p><p>sorry for long wait; loved writing this chapter though, it was lovely. enjoy &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Even before the bus broke down, Penny knew she disliked the bus.</p><p>Well... perhaps ‘disliked’ was too weak a word. She <i>despised</i> the bus. From when it worked when she was young, to after it was repaired, there was always the lingering smell of burnt rubber and cigarettes. No one ever cleaned it, so there were always brown spots on the carpeted isles and plastic bottles that cluttered around the back seat. And, as early as she could remember, no one came to (or left) Pelican Town much, so every time Penny would ride along as a child, she was alone with her mother, sitting right behind the driver’s seat and reading her books for hours until she grew motion sick.</p><p>She could remember the hours upon hours of pointless driving, going somewhere yet nowhere every day, teaching herself maths and english and history, because there was no school in Pelican Town and no formal education she could afford. She remembered waiting patiently on the days when her mother had to go out early, and cooking good meals for when she came home with what money she could find - and sometimes food from the trash cans.</p><p>While they weren’t her favorite memories in the world, in her late childhood and adolescence, she missed it. It paid the bills, and it distracted her mother from something other than drinking or sitting and watching television all day.</p><p>As little as she believed in religion, she thanked Yoba daily that June came along, and helped fix the bus to put her and her mother’s lives back together. Slowly but surely, she and Pam’s relationship was being mended, and it started with the return of her mother’s old job. How ironic it was, now, that it would be the very thing to help June start healing.</p><p>So… maybe Penny didn’t really despise the bus. Maybe she just didn’t realize everything it gave her until it was gone.</p><p>Maybe she just hated it for being gone for so long.</p><p>——</p><p>It was a minor detail, but Penny noticed June wasn’t wearing her grey beanie today.</p><p>Penny could feel the worry and tension plaguing her wife’s mind. There was a blank stare across her face and her eyes were dull, glossy, and never blinked during the entire ride to the city. She wanted to help June so badly, she would give up anything to have her feel whole again. But where to start? She didn’t have the slightest idea of what could be wrong, and that scared her more than anything. So, all Penny could do was squeeze June’s hand a bit tighter.</p><p>The bus came to a stop, after a lengthy (and bumpy) ride. The ride to Zuzu city wasn’t the longest, but it was still a considerable amount farther than Calico Desert. In the driver’s seat, Pam struggled to her feet, turning around and propping her elbows on the head of the seat as she looked at the two.</p><p>“Alright, kids, get a move on. I’ll be waiting here when you’re done. Not like anyone’s gonna board while you’re gone.” She rasped, chuckling. Penny nodded and stood up, giving June an encouraging pat on the shoulder to signal her to stand up. June seemed to snap back into her own body and quickly rose to her feet, using the seat in front of her for support. Pam and Penny exchanged a worried look, which was likely ignored by June as she simply gave her thanks to Pam and exited the bus. As Penny went to follow, her mother’s large, warm hand gently grabbed her small forearm. She turned around.</p><p>“Just wanted to wish you luck.”</p><p>For a second, the two shared a mutual moment of silence, an acknowledgment of all the emotional weight attached to the words. Penny slowly took in the most gentle touch her mother had given her in years, along with the sudden wish of luck, for well-being with her and her wife, for them to be happy.</p><p>Penny gave her mother a small smile, placing her hand gingerly on top of her mother’s.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>Penny exited the bus, and jogged to catch up to June, who didn’t seem to notice that Penny hadn’t immediately followed. </p><p>Awkwardly, Penny looked over at June as they passed through the valleys between buildings. She forced a small smile despite her discomfort.</p><p>The city was much bigger than Penny remembered. Likely because of the fact she’d never <i>actually</i> been in the city (she’d just been an observer from the bus window). She loved the way the buildings looked in the sun, and the diversity between the buildings the farther out you looked. However, it made her a bit nervous - there were so many people, and she was so used to small town life. What would it be like for no one to know your name at every turn? What would it be like to be a faceless, nameless individual that people hardly spared a glance for? Well, it wasn’t as if they were going to move here or anything. Penny could manage the trip once a week for June; she’d do however many visits she needed, as long as she was by her side the entire time.</p><p>She looked over at the other and noticed a hard expression, like she was thinking hard about something. Her curiosity got the best of her.</p><p>“What’re you thinking about?”</p><p>June hummed in thought and shrugged.</p><p>“I moved to Pelican Town to get away from all this. I never liked the city, now that I think about it. It really does feel a little weird, that this might be the place I’ll be when I’m stressed or upset.”</p><p>Penny nodded in agreement. “I never liked the city myself. I was on the outside always looking in, but I never really wanted to live there. I’m glad we can do this together, though. Even if it isn’t under the most… preferable circumstances.”</p><p>June let out a huff of air through her nose.</p><p>“Yeah. We’ll be okay. We should stop and get some street food on the way back, though. There’s a pretzel stand on the corner of the building I used to work at.”</p><p>Penny felt a smile spread across her face as she squeezed June’s hand a little tighter. The chasms between the buildings were deep; she felt as if they’d fold in around her at any second. She couldn’t help but imagine June walking along the sidewalks every day, in a businesslike outfit and whatnot, ready to work a 9 to 5 job to provide for her shoddy apartment and unhealthy lifestyle. </p><p>Maybe it wasn’t the best thing to imagine. But at least her life was better now. Right?</p><p>——</p><p>The address on the business card was very easy to get to; it was only about a ten minute walk from the bus station, and being early afternoon, it made it much easier to read the street signs as the sun was shining directly down on the streets. It was a nice building, but rather bland. It had the same copy-paste windows-as-walls look of every other office building in the city, like the ones next to it and the ones next to those and ect. Not that that was bad or anything. But Penny had expected something… <i>warmer.</i></p><p>“Hey, so…” June suddenly stopped walking, stopping in the middle of the lobby near the elevators. Penny turned toward June, her eyebrows raised.</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“I was thinking that, um, I’d like to go up and do my appointment myself.” With every word, June grew more quiet. Penny felt her heart skip a beat. What? Was June going to say something that she shouldn’t know? Was there something that she was hiding?</p><p>Despite her own thoughts, Penny took a slow, deep breath, and nodded. This was for June, for her to heal. This would be one sacrifice she’d have to make, and despite being worried, Penny was okay with it. For everything June did for her, she could afford to give up this one thing.</p><p>“Okay. If it makes you comfortable.” Penny forced a small smile. Though it was for June, she still wished she could go. The other woman raised her eyebrows in surprise, but for some reason did not question the compliant response.</p><p>“I love you. I’ll be right back, okay?”</p><p>Planting a quick kiss on her wife’s lips, June smiled at Penny for a moment before she turned to the elevators and pressed a button. As her wife disappeared past the closing doors, Penny sighed and let go of her positive demeanor she’d been holding on to since their hospital visit. She plopped down in an uncomfortable plastic Joja chair and rested her head in a hand. Quickly, she found herself drifting off.</p><p>She probably deserved a quick rest, after all that’s happened.</p><p>Though she was sleeping most of the time, the wait for June to return felt like hours. When she awoke to June rubbing her shoulder to wake her, she was convinced she’d had a full night of rest.</p><p>“How was it?” She rubbed her eyes with a hand, sleepy.</p><p>“Really good, actually.” June smiled warmly at Penny, and when she sat up, she gave her a small kiss on the cheek. “She gave me this copy of some coping skills she wrote down. I think it’ll help a lot.” June pulled a small folded paper out of her blue backpack and held it up between two fingers.</p><p>“I’m glad.” She smiled.</p><p>——</p><p>The ride back to Stardew Valley was less unbearable than the ride there. It was filled with lovely chatter, and, as promised, hot pretzels from the stand June had mentioned. Once she’d finished her pretzel, Penny leaned her head against June’s shoulder, growing more and more sleepy, until eventually, her eyes drooped closed.</p><p>However, no sooner had she fallen asleep when the bus suddenly jerked to a stop, waking her up. June stands, holding out a hand to help her out of her seat, which Penny gently took.</p><p>The two exited the bus, and for the first time in a long time, Penny hugged her mother goodbye.</p><p>She and June headed off to the farm, where fireflies danced around in the sunflower fields. The wooden paths clunked beneath their shoes as they walked slowly, arm in arm. Penny let a small smile ghost her face as she looked at what June had built. But there was a bit of sadness still present in her smile, because she couldn’t help but ask herself if June had done it for herself, or for someone else.</p><p>Their cozy farmhouse stood tall and proud in the front of the farm, overlooking the crops and barns and the fruit trees. Penny swore up and down that if you stood in the children’s room at a certain point of the window, you could see from the farm, to Marnie’s Ranch, all the way through Cindersap forest and down to the ocean. Of course, June would laugh this off, pretending to disregard it, but when June held their daughters and Penny watched her as they stood in the window, when she watched close enough she could see her wife’s eyes drifting across the land, and Penny could tell that June could see it all, too.</p><p>Penny hadn’t seen June staring out the window proudly lately. But when they entered the house and the children waddled up to them, Marnie (who’d been watching the kids) in close pursuit, Penny could see some light return to June’s eyes. Once Marnie left and the children were being put to bed, Penny caught June looking out as she did once, holding their children and pointing out the fireflies and such with loving baby talk.</p><p>Finally, for the first time in weeks, Penny and June went to bed at the same time, happy.</p><p>——</p><p>Penny awoke to the sound of a rooster call outside, and sleepily turned in bed, eyes still shut tight. She reached out a hand to pull June closer, but instead she felt an empty mattress. Suddenly, she was fully awake, sitting up straight in bed, panicked. Her head swiveled to the library attached to their room. Nothing. The chairs near the front window. Nothing. She sprang from the bed and dashed out to the kitchen. June was there, cooking breakfast. Penny let out a long sigh of relief.</p><p>“Good morning, lovely.” June called from the kitchen, glancing from the oven top to Penny for a moment. She quickly did a double take when she saw Penny’s expression. “Oh no, are you alright, baby? What happened?” She took the pan from the active burner and placed it on another, walking to Penny.</p><p>“Nothing, honey, I.. Oh, silly me, I didn’t feel you there, and I assumed the worst, that’s all.” Penny looked up at the taller, a relieved look in her eye. June looked disappointed, but in who, Penny couldn’t tell.</p><p>“You think I left again.” Her voice dropped in volume, as their daughters were sitting just over on the couch watching cartoons. Penny’s hand reached up and rests on June’s shoulder.</p><p>“I’m sorry, love, I didn’t mean to. It’s just.. I don’t really know, I suppose. You’re okay, I promise you didn’t do anything wrong.”</p><p>June looked all around the room, to down at the floor, and then glanced to the door; she looked almost lost as she looked around her. She sighs.</p><p>“I need to take a walk. Breakfast is on the counter, lunch is in the fridge. I’ll be back before 3:00, okay?”</p><p>June gave Penny a quick kiss on the head and took her leave, going out the front door. She left Penny alone with her mouth slightly agape and hand in the air, wondering what she’d done.</p><p>It was a minor detail, but Penny noticed June grabbed her grey beanie on the way out the door.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. pov: shane</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Shane and June take a walk in the woods. Someone unexpected comes by later for advice.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Decided to try Shane’s perspective out. I think it went well :) Enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For the last couple seasons, Shane had been doing the only thing he really knew how: finding things to distract himself.</p><p>Since June helped him stop drinking, he’d made a lot of progress. Therapy helped him through his cravings, of course, but so did knowing that Marnie and Jas and all his chickens needed him. And eventually, he started doing it for himself too. Though, it was all mostly for June. She was what helped him the most.</p><p>Of course, when things got tough on the ranch or he felt even a tad stressed, a small voice was always in the back of his mind giving him the idea to drink again. But the longer Shane went without listening to that voice, the quieter it got, until it almost faded entirely. Everything was easier, and slowly, Shane was learning to enjoy life again.</p><p>So, when June ended up in the hospital, he cursed himself for not noticing that what she’d been going through was similar, if not identical to his experience. How could he not have noticed that she was pushing herself too much? That she was preoccupying her mind with useless, harmful shit, just to distract herself, just like Shane had been doing before?</p><p>For the last couple days, he’d just been sitting around Marnie’s farmhouse, not doing much of anything besides thinking. Knowing what was going on, Marnie let him have the time to himself, And for that, Shane was grateful. He’d considered going to June’s a couple times, but he figured they’d been gone to the city for a while, not to mention busy with the farm and such. He wanted to insert himself into June’s recovery, but from his experience, he’d rather have had someone wait for him to approach them instead. So Shane awoke the third morning after the hospital incident, and sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, waiting for a knock on the door like he’d been doing every morning.</p><p>At 8:40 AM, finally, a knock came from the front door. As he stood and approached it, he saw Marnie in a rush to answer. Marnie opened the door; she looked as if she’d been let down at the sight of June on their doorstep. Maybe she was expecting someone else. Shane smirked.</p><p>“Hey there, June. How can we help you? We don’t open until nine, you know.” Marnie said, and despite trying to come across as annoyed, she sounded nothing but concerned. Shane studied June’s face as the girl’s eyes found their way to Shane. She looked exhausted, and a certain shine in her eyes made it obvious that she was upset. This wasn’t familiar, but honestly, it scared Shane.</p><p>“I was hoping that Shane and I could go for a walk.”</p><p>Marnie looked to Shane, then to June, then back at Shane. She nodded, giving her nephew an affectionate pat on the shoulder before heading over to the kitchen. Shane exited the house and followed alongside the shorter woman as she led them both out into Cindersap forest. The two were quiet for a while, until June pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Shane took in a sharp inhale, and politely declined when June offered him one. The other nodded in understanding and instead set a cigarette in her mouth. A heavy silence hung in the air as Shane debated on whether or not to say something. He did.</p><p>“So, you smoke?” His voice was full of concern, watching as the other lit the cigarette and took a puff. June let out a single, breathy laugh.</p><p>“It’s a habit from when I worked in the city. I come out here all the time and do this. But I limit myself to one a day. It gets hard, cravings and stuff, but it helps get rid of some stress.” She shrugged. “I’ve been wanting to quit, but it’s the one thing I can’t seem to do. We all have our vices, Shane, I’m not perfect.”</p><p>Shane put his hands in his pockets, continuing to walk in quiet thought as June slowly smoked her cigarette. He almost said something like “that’s not how it works!” but he held himself back. She had too much on her plate as it was.</p><p>They apparently had a destination: the dock where they’d first become friends, across from that large tree Jas liked so much. June and Shane walked to the end of the dock and sat down; June took her shoes and socks off and sat with her legs dangling over the edge, her toes just barely brushing the surface of the water. Shane sat criss-crossed.</p><p>They sat in silence for a while, the sounds of nature echoing throughout the forest around them. This was a nice break from Marnie and the rest of Pelican Town; it seemed that every second had to be filled with chatter, so it was nice to just take a moment to appreciate the nature and noises around them. A few minutes pass by silently. It didn't last long enough when June suddenly spoke.</p><p>“I’m bored.” She sighed. </p><p>Shane’s eyebrows scrunched up as he watched June smoosh her cigarette against the wood of the dock and lay herself down on the planks.</p><p>“What do you mean?” He tilted his head, leaning back on his hands.</p><p>“I mean, like,” June bit her lip, possibly searching for words,”I just don’t know where to go from here. There’s.. no gratification in doing what I’m doing other than making money,” She hesitated, taking a slow breath,”and manipulating people I don’t like into giving me stuff. I’m not happy making people happy anymore.”</p><p>There’s a long silence, where Shane thought about saying something, but didn’t. June probably had more to say. He guessed correctly, as she eventually sighed, covering her eyes with one hand.</p><p>“So what do I do if there’s nothing left for me here? Do I just keep doing the same activities year after year? I have two kids, I have a wife, I have a beautiful farm. I have a best friend, my wallet is full… I could list things forever, Shane. My life is so good. I don’t have the <i>right</i> to be unhappy.”</p><p>Shane pursed his lips, thinking of what to say. After a few seconds, he responded. “I get it. I went through the same thing before you came along.”</p><p>June took her hand from off her face, looking over at Shane. “I’m sure you think so. But.. this feels different. I don’t know…” </p><p>A silence followed, June staring up at the sky and Shane looking intensely at the lines in the wood of the dock.</p><p>“That was mean. I’m sorry. I know you’re trying to help.” Her voice was quieter than it was before. “I just want there to be more. I want to see more than I have, and there doesn’t feel like there’s anything left for me to do sometimes.”</p><p>Glancing over, June quickly noticed the concerned look on Shane’s face and adds: “I don’t want to <i>die</i>. I just don’t know what to do about it.” Shane, although a bit more relaxed, was still worried, especially when June pulled out another cigarette after she finished talking. He gave her a look, but June either ignored it or didn’t notice it as she lit it. The man searched for something to say to his friend.</p><p>“I know how you feel even if you don’t think I do.” He said, then paused, seeing the other roll her eyes.</p><p>”June, I do, I swear to Yoba, I do! I moved to Marnie’s farm and I worked at Joja. That’s why we’re so alike! The first couple of months were fine, sure, but it got so boring. I couldn’t afford to go anywhere because I ended up spending all my money on beer, so the cycle of me working and drinking just kept going. I know it gets boring and I know how you feel.” Shane felt all his worry and concern bubble to the surface as he continued,”So don’t just sit there and roll your eyes at me, because you know I understand even if you pretend I don’t! We might have taken different paths but we still ended up at the same place.”</p><p>There’s a long silence after this, where June just sat and smoked her cigarette, with an expression on her face that Shane was having trouble pinpointing.</p><p>Eventually, June hummed in thought and put out her cigarette on the dock. She stood up slowly, looking out over the small pond.</p><p>“I’ve gotta go. I’m gonna take Grover out for some apples at Pierre’s before they close.” She sighs, referring to her horse that she’d so affectionately cursed with the name. June jerked her head to the path they’d come from, an offer for Shane to follow. “Walk back with me?”</p><p>The man nodded, standing up with a grunt and joining June by her side as she lit her third cigarette. He thinks about saying something, giving her a look at least, but thinks better of it, instead opting to stay upwind and away from the smoke.</p><p><i>This must be super unhealthy for the forest. For June, too..</i> He glanced back at June, who was too busy walking along with her eyes closed to notice him looking at her. He only really saw her for a moment, but he noticed the bags under her eyes. He noticed the way her curls were out of place and frizzy, and not put into their perfect place like usual. He noticed how she walked a little slower than usual. He noticed all this and more from a single look. And then he looked back in front of him and they arrived at Marnie’s once again.</p><p>Shane turned to June before they parted ways.</p><p>“June, I’ve been in the same boat, alright? I want to be there for you, just like you were there for me. It’s what you deserve.”</p><p>June pursed her lips as if she didn't believe him, folding her arms across her chest and looking off into the distance. “Okay,” She mumbled. Shane watched as June gave him a silent thanks and leaves, disappearing around the side of the barn to head home. He turned on his heel and goes inside.</p><p>Once he was inside the house, he hugged Marnie a little tighter, smiled at Jas a little brighter, and, as soon as he entered the coop in the back of the house, he let himself cry.</p><p>———</p><p>Shane usually wouldn’t expect anyone but June to visit him. But, in retrospect, he should have expected Penny to come visit him sometime soon. It was only a few hours later when she arrived. His tears were long dry when Marnie opened the door to the coop and let Penny in. Shane looked up from his place on the floor where he’d been holding one of his chickens, slightly surprised.</p><p>“Oh. Hey.” He forced a smile. Penny smiled back, giving him a small wave as she stepped around a bunch of the chickens to get to him. Shane could almost laugh. She was just as shy as ever, she could barely even make eye contact with him. So why was she here, of all places?</p><p>“So, ah..” Shane watched as Penny avoided looking at him, looking at the floor of the coop. “June came by earlier.”</p><p>Shane knitted his brow. “How do you know?”</p><p>“I smell the smoke on her when she comes back from her walks. She wouldn’t want to walk alone today. Not right now, at least.” Penny gets quiet at the last part. Shane became even more confused, letting go of the chicken and crossing his arms.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>Penny takes a moment to respond. Shane figured she was collecting herself, thinking of what to say or something.</p><p>“She ran out of the house upset this morning. I got worried because I woke up and she wasn’t there, and… she just…” Penny sighed.</p><p>“Well, that’s understandable. You were just scared.” Shane purses his lips. Running out of the house? That wasn’t like June at all.</p><p>“I suppose that’s true. But I could have been more patient.” Penny looks around, then finally makes eye contact with Shane.</p><p>There was a long silence between the two. Shane takes a long, deep breath, then speaks.</p><p>“I know that you want me to tell you what to do, but I really don’t know, Penny.” He sees the other’s expression fall, and quickly continues. “But what I do know is that whatever you’re doing is working. If she’ll talk to me or her therapist about what she’s thinking, then it’s a progress, and any progress towards recovery is good progress.”</p><p>Penny smiles. “Where did you read that?” She teases. Shane smirks.</p><p>“Harvey read it to me out of a book. Anyway, that’s beside the point. What else you should know that what worked for me isn’t what‘s been working for June.” Shane stops, looking at the floor. “June is good. She’s not mean to people like me, and she‘s not too obvious when something is really wrong. She needs time, but even though you don’t think what you’ve been doing is working, it really has. When I talked to her today, I could tell she had a lot on her mind. I think today was exhausting for her.”</p><p>“Probably. She came home after taking Grover out and went right to sleep.”</p><p>“Please keep an eye on her. You’re good for her, and you both deserve to be happy.”</p><p>Penny nodded, taking the opportunity to leave. She stands up, staring to weave her way back through the coop to the door. Shane quickly stood as well and followed behind her, leading her back into the main house and through the kitchen. He holds the door open for Penny to leave, smiling, but is surprised when Penny hugs him suddenly.</p><p>“Thank you, Shane.”</p><p>Shane relaxes, slowly putting his arms around Penny.</p><p>“Anytime.”</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. pov: Harvey</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>June gets some medicine and it doesn't go over too well.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hooooly shit, it's been forever. had some mental health issues but now i'm back! since the update for stardew came out i played a little bit of it, so i'm a little bit more into stardew now than i was!</p>
<p>hope you enjoy this chapter; i didn't proofread it, sorry :')</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>On the first of each season, a Joja delivery truck delivered a case of all the townspeople’s prescriptions to Harvey’s clinic. Harvey, taking his job very seriously, kept close tabs on these stocks, making sure none of it went missing or went off the assigned dosage. After all, prescription medicine was an extremely dangerous and tricky business; he had to keep track of it all. That being said, the townspeople never had an issue with allowing Harvey to regulate their medicine and such. He was responsible and cared enough about the town to never make an error, double and triple checking everything to make sure nothing horrible happened to anyone because of his slip-up.</p>
<p>Three mornings after June’s last accident, the next truck came by, and Harvey had a lot on his mind. He couldn’t help but think of June and her present issues, and whether she would need medication for anything or not. He would write her a prescription in a heartbeat if she would just come by for an evaluation, but it seemed that, at any suggestion of medication, the farmer would pull back and not respond. Which was completely fine, of course! Not everyone was comfortable with the idea of medicine. It didn’t bother Harvey at all that June may want to find other methods of keeping her mental state in check.</p>
<p>But what did bother Harvey a bit was that, as he opened the monthly shipment, he found a new bottle of pills that he wasn’t expecting to see. Looking at the name, they were for June. What for?</p>
<p>He reads the bottle. ADHD? Since when?</p>
<p>It did seem <i>plausible</i> that June could have some form of ADHD, but it didn’t seem like that was what she needed to be treated for at the moment. Maybe eventually, but so soon after her first meeting with the counselor? It didn’t seem right.</p>
<p>No sooner had he unpacked the day’s shipment than 9:00 finally rolled around. The regular people came in for their monthly refills. Evelyn arrived to pick up George’s pain medication, Shane stopped by to pick up his antidepressants, and Sebastian came to get him and his mother’s anxiety prescription. Usually, that would have been just about it, but June still had yet to pick it up…</p>
<p>Harvey soon decided to drop by June’s house if she didn’t show up. Sure enough, closing time came and went, and Harvey was left with one prescription yet to be received. It was too late for June to try it now, but maybe he could just drop it off for her to try in the morning. That seemed to be the best choice, right?</p>
<p>Harvey heads down the brick path to June’s farm. Now that he really thought about it, he hadn’t been to June’s farm in quite a while. Not since spring of the year previous… He was interested to see the progress they had made!</p>
<p>Upon arriving, he was surprised to see that the house had been expanded and there were many chickens out playing in the fields. There were several cows, too, and though there were several weeks until winter, no crops were in the fields. Maybe June was taking the season off from farming.</p>
<p>Harvey was slightly nervous (for no reason, he knew June and Penny too well to be scared), but he knocked on the big front door anyway. Soon, it opened, and Penny’s face lit up when she noticed who it was.</p>
<p>“Oh, hello Harvey! I was just fixing dinner, come on in.” She smiles, holding the door open for the doctor to enter. He obliges, wiping his dusty boots on a mat. The two children are sitting at the table, drawing with crayons as they wait for dinner to be ready, while June is on the couch, face blank, watching some cooking show. <i>The Queen Of Sauce</i>, he thinks it’s called. Harvey has to hold back a frown; she doesn’t look like she’s doing so well.</p>
<p>“I just came by to drop off a prescription for June.” He explains, holding out the paper bag with the bottle inside. Penny furrows her brows, but takes the bag anyway as June walks up next to her.</p>
<p>“I… wasn’t aware that she <i>had</i> any prescriptions.”</p>
<p>“Me neither, but since she didn't pick it up, I decided to swing by.”</p>
<p>Penny hums in thought. “Are there any instructions for how to take it?”</p>
<p>“Oh, yes, I should tell you about dosage and side effects while I’m here, shouldn’t I?” Harvey realizes, and begins to explain, “The brand name is Vyvanse, and it’s a stimulant typically used to treat ADHD, which I’m assuming June here has been diagnosed with. So, June, what you’ll want to do is take these in the mornings, so if you could take one tomorrow morning, that would be great. Get back to me on how it goes, and if we need to reevaluate whether you need it or not, then we can do that. There shouldn’t be an issue though, assuming it’s the right prescription.”</p>
<p>June stares down at the bag, looking like she’s thinking hard. She looks up at Harvey after a moment. “You mentioned side effects. What would that be like?”</p>
<p>“Well, a few common ones are loss of appetite, insomnia, shakiness, dizziness, nausea… uh…” Harvey stops, noticing the concerned look on Penny’s face. “...of course, those are all normal side effects. If you experience any of those or if it becomes a problem, then come and talk to me. If you overdose, come to the clinic immediately, or call me and I’ll run over.”</p>
<p>June nods, giving Harvey a weak smile. “Cool. Thanks for dropping this off, Harv.” She turns and walks to the corner of the room, heading into what Harvey assumes to be their bedroom. As he bids Penny farewell and turns to leave, he feels her put a hand on his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Wait, Harvey -” She sucks in a deep breath. Harvey looks at her and can practically see the worry swimming in her eyes. “Do you think she’ll be okay? I’m getting more worried by the day, and… gah, I don’t know. I need her here. I don’t want her to end up… you know.”</p>
<p>Harvey places his hand on top of hers reassuringly. “I can’t promise everything will be okay, but I can promise that I can do everything in my power to help. We’ll all get through this.”</p>
<p>Penny slowly nods. “Okay. Thank you.”</p>
<p>Harvey smiles, and heads out the door to go home.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Harvey wakes up at 8:30, exhausted from the night before. He wasn’t one to stay up late, and he definitely hadn’t done that, but he was definitely drained enough to feel that way. Stretching, he gets out of bed and does his daily routine to prepare for work. Though it was the weekend, Harvey’s job was never done, and he always needed to be on alert for any emergencies and such that may have come up.</p>
<p>After showering and getting dressed, he threw on his green coat and headed downstairs to the main part of the clinic.</p>
<p>Sometimes, Harvey wished he were employed by someone who could make him more money. But living in this small town was manageable, and as someone who gets overwhelmed easily, it was probably good that he chose his personal needs over money. Like the people at Joja. He’d been offered jobs at the company multiple times, but he knew from his family (and June) that he would just become a slave to them, he wouldn’t be paid a fair wage (even if it was more money than he was making at the moment). And he would miss Pelican town, too.</p>
<p>So not only would he be financially unfulfilled, he would be emotionally unfulfilled, too. He’d had his bouts with depression before, and that wasn’t something he wanted to do again.</p>
<p>His e-mail inbox was flooded with Joja job offers. Rolling his eyes, he deleted them.</p>
<p>No sooner had he done that than the front door burst open. Harvey sprung from his seat, gasping as June stumbled in, shaking.</p>
<p>“Harvey, Harvey, Harvey, I can’t stop,” She gasps, holding out her hands to Harvey,”I can’t stop shaking, Harvey.”</p>
<p>Harvey feels his heart skip a beat and rushes around the desk, taking June’s hands. </p>
<p>“Okay, June, how much did you take?” He tries to stay calm, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t terrified of her answer.</p>
<p>“The amount you told me, just the one, I swear.” June responded, glancing around. Harvey relaxed, unable to stop himself from noticing how frantic she looked, almost as if her problem had worsened. Then this may just be a side effect. Or they gave her too high of a dosage.</p>
<p>Or it wasn’t the right prescription altogether.</p>
<p>“Good, good. Then, uh, let’s just get you something to do with that energy.” He takes her arm and gently guides he to the back offices. He looks around. He needed to find her something to do, something to calm the overstimulation.. quickly, quickly, what to do, what to do… oh!</p>
<p>“Want to organize the storage closet?”</p>
<p>It was a stupid suggestion, but June nodded quickly and set to work on the closet, to Harvey’s surprise. She probably just needed something to do right now.</p>
<p>Harvey sighed as he backed away, watching June work quickly. This was probably the wrong prescription. The only problem this would cause would be exhaustion for June later. So Harvey went to the phone and dialed up the number for June’s house. Someone almost immediately picked up.</p>
<p>“<i>Hello?</i>”</p>
<p>“Hey Penny, this is Harvey calling, I’ve got June here and she’s got some side effects from the medicine she’s taken going on right now. It would probably be best if she went home and tried to rest, but if you want her to stay here then I’m more than willing to keep her overnight.”</p>
<p>Penny sighed on the other end of the line.</p>
<p>“<i>I’m on my way.</i>”</p>
<p>After hanging up, Harvey turns around to see the closet already about halfway organized. Well, shit. Considering the closet hadn’t been organized in about three years, that was impressive.</p>
<p>Ten minutes later, Penny showed up. Harvey would be lying if he didn’t say she looked like shit.</p>
<p>“Penny.” June turned, standing up quickly from the closet and heading over to Penny like a lost puppy finding its owner. They immediately hugged, Penny rubbing June’s back as her wife cried into her shoulder. Harvey sat awkwardly to the side. Penny gave him a grateful look, mouthing a thank you.</p>
<p>“Do you want me to help you walk home?”</p>
<p>June nodded, not letting go of Penny. Harvey hummed, grabbing his coat and throwing it on. The three leave the office, Harvey and Penny each holding one of June’s arms. June sniffled, a few tears still running down her face. Penny reached over and gently wiped her cheek. Harvey sighs. God, could these two ever catch a break?</p>
<p>As soon as they exit the building, Shane almost runs into them. Immediately concern floods his features, and he looks to Harvey.</p>
<p>“Walk with us.” He simply says. Shane purses his lips, likely wanting to say something more, but he instead stays silent, walking along with the other two. This was the first time the three had been together since the initial incident with June, and a tension hung in the air that Harvey had never previously noticed. The silence of the morning in pelican town seemed unfitting compared to the situation at hand. June’s cries quieted, beginning to calm, but the shakiness continued. Harvey could see her hands shaking when he looked down.</p>
<p>When they finally reached the farm, June pushed Penny and Harvey away, and to their dismay, June began to reach into her pocket, pulling out a box of cigarettes.</p>
<p>“June, hey,” Harvey furrowed his brow disapprovingly. Penny gently reached forward as June attempted to light the cigarette.</p>
<p>“June, this is stupid, come on dude.” Shane crossed his arms. “Not now.”</p>
<p>“Just - just one, okay?” June held up a hand, but to Harvey and Shane’s surprise, Penny was the one that walked forward and grabbed the cigarette, throwing it on the ground.</p>
<p>“Juniper Lee Murphy!” She grabbed her wife’s shoulders, making her face her. “We are here trying to help you! I understand you’re feeling upset and stressed but don’t keep doing this to yourself! We love you and we want you to be okay!”</p>
<p>A silence followed. June merely stared at Penny, a blank look in her wide eyes.</p>
<p>“...Okay.” June finally responded.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you go inside and find something to keep yourself occupied, June?” Harvey tried to break the tension. Luckily, it worked a little bit.</p>
<p>“Okay.” June repeated, giving Penny a cautious kiss on the cheek before going inside.</p>
<p>As soon as she was out of sight, Penny turned, wiping her eyes.</p>
<p>“What am I gonna do with her?” She sighed, giving no one in particular a watery smile. Harvey sighs, putting a hand on Penny’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“It’s okay. June will be fine.” He looks to Shane, “Do you still happen to have any of those nicotine patches I gave you from when you quit smoking?”</p>
<p>Shane nods, “Yeah. I’ll bring them when I get the chance. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I’m willing to help with whatever comes next. If you need someone to bring June to a Gridball game or something…”</p>
<p>“Now that’s an idea, Shane!” Harvey lights up, something clicking in his mind. “What if we all did something with June! To make sure she’s not alone, and to make her remember how fun it is here?”</p>
<p>Penny bites her lip. “But hasn’t June already been to a Gridball game with you, Shane? And talked about planes with you, Harvey? What more is there to do?”</p>
<p>“Actually,” Shane interrupted, “Willy mentioned that he needed some help restoring an old ship of his. Was wondering if June wanted to help. It looks like there could be some islands nearby.”</p>
<p>Penny raises her eyebrows. “Really?”</p>
<p>Harvey smiles. “We’ve got this. June will be okay. We just need to get to those islands.”</p>
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